Red Crabs Research Paper

Red Crabs of Christmas Island

Red Crabs are a crustaceous species that live on Christmas Island, located just south of Indonesia. They are a very important part of the ecosystem of the island, and have mainly good benefits for us humans. They’re very famous as well, known for the mass migrations which turn the roads of Christmas Island red. Red Crabs play a very important role in the ecosystem of Christmas Island, they are herbaceous and eat plants, which helps fertilize the ground, and they also provide food to the two other species of crab on the island; Robber Crabs & Blue Crabs. The Robber Crabs eat the Red Crabs & Blue Crabs, and the Blue Crabs eat the Red Crabs. Red Crabs cannot be eaten by people, whereas Blue & Robber Crabs can be.
They migrate by the millions to cliffs by the ocean, with millions of crabs dying on the road due to cars and other human disturbance. This is where the males will dig burrows and often fight with the other male Red crabs, and eventually mate with the females. The females normally wait around 10 days, and then head to the ocean at full moon where they will release the eggs, which hatch immediately upon contact with water. The baby Red Crabs then drift out to the open ocean, where they can be eaten by Whale Sharks and other fish, but normally every year they return back to the beach, and cover the rocks, which makes them look like they’re covered in blood. After a few days, they begin their migration back to the forest, and the carnage on the road begins once again. The entire process of the migration and reproduction takes around 5 weeks in